"Live From Covent Garden" is a new, informal concert series, presenting
musicians who record for Magnatune.com, and encouraging exchange with the
London arts and music community. The series, sponsored by John and Jan
Buckman, founders of Magnatune, aims to bring together musicians and
audience in a salon-style setting that encourages collaborations and the
exchange of ideas about music and the arts.
The inaugural concert in the series featured members of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American's leading
period instrument ensemble. Members of the San Francisco-based
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, which made its debut at the BBC Proms two
nights later, performed for a specially-invited audience of
fellow-musicians, authors, journalists, artists, instrument-makers and
associates from the music industry.
Performances included Baroque concerti and Schumann chamber works by oboist
Gonzalo Ruiz, Beethoven Sonatas by cellist Tanya Tomkins, Chambonnieres
solo harpsichord works by Hanneke van Proosdij, and a Bach Cello Suite by
Phoebe Carrai.
Recordings by Philharmonia Baroque available on Magnatune.com include live
recordings from the orchestra's archives of Mozart, Leclair and Rameau, and
the world-premiere recording of Alessandro Scarlatti's The Cecilian
Vespers, which is available through Magnatune's alliance with Avie Records.
A video of the entire one hour performance by the Members of Philharmonia Baroque is available (July 31, 2005).
Gonzalo Xavier Ruiz has appeared both as principal oboist and concerto soloist with most of the leading period instrument groups in America and has performed widely in the U.S. and Europe under conductors such as Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan, Jordi Savall, Gustav Leonhardt, Reinhard Goebbel and Mark Minkowski. Albums on Magnatune: Imported from Italy, JS Bach-Transcriptions for Oboe; Schumann Romances. With American Baroque: Dances and Suites of Rameau and Couperin, Mozart 4 Quartets for Strings and Winds, The Four Seasons by Vivaldi.
Hanneke van Proosdij (pictured at right, with Magnatune co-founder Jan Hanford) studied harpsichord and organ with Jacques Ogg at the
Royal Conservatory in The Hague, the Netherlands, where she also studied
recorder and composition. She performs with Philharmonia Baroque
Orchestra, the American Bach Soloists, Magnificat, Parnassus Ave,
Chanticleer, Orinda and Farallon Recorder Quartet.
Albums on Magnatune:
Harpsichord Suites of Chambonnieres, Ludwig Senfl Recorder Pieces (as a
member of the Farallon Recorder Quartet)
Phoebe Carrai performs with The Arcadian Academy and The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Les Musiciens de Louvre and The Handel and Haydn Society. She is a member of the faculties of the University of the Arts in
Berlin, Germany and The Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachussetts. Ms. Carrai is also a founding member and co-director
of the International Baroque Institute at Longy. Albums on Magnatune: Bach Cello Suites (in partnership with Avie Records)
Tanya Tomkins is a member of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with whom she has appeared as a soloist, and she performs regularly with the American Bach Soloists. In 2001, she was the winner of the international Bodky Competition for Early Music Soloists.
Albums on Magnatune: Beethoven Piano and Cello Works, Kummer Cello Duets.
Members of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. PBO was named Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year" for 2004, and is dedicated to historically-informed performance of Baroque, Classical and early Romantic music on original instruments. The orchestra will be performing this Tuesday as part of the BBC Proms festival. Philharmonia Baroque is currently releasing the best of its 30-year archives through Magnatune. Albums on Magnatune: Mozart Orchestral Works, Rameau and Leclair, Scarlatti - Cecilian Vespers (in partnership with Avie Records), Two Beethoven Symphonies.
The "Live From Covent Garden" house concerts are recorded professionally by John Buckman. The sound quality is quite good, but as this is a live event, you will occasionally hear sounds of humanity.
